The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to roll out a province-wide campaign aimed at bringing out of school children into the education system.
As part of the initiative, multiple departments will work together on planning, data collection, and providing support to low-income families to help enrol children in schools.
The plan, formulated under the government’s Good Governance Roadmap, was discussed in a high-level meeting held at the Chief Secretary’s Office. The meeting was co-chaired by Provincial Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Arshad Ayub Khan and Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, and attended by senior officials from education, social welfare, health, and local government departments, along with representatives of UNICEF.
During the session, officials were briefed on a proposed province wide survey designed to gather precise data on out of school children down to the village council level. The survey will identify children aged five to sixteen who are not enrolled in school, while also assessing the future educational needs of children under five.
It was further explained that data on currently enrolled students will be collected from public and private schools, federal institutions, religious seminaries, non-formal education centres, and special education programmes.
According to officials, the 2023 census estimates around 4.9 million children in the province are out of school. However, authorities believe the new household and school-level surveys will provide more reliable data, allowing for better planning, budgeting, and allocation of resources based on local requirements.
The Health and Local Government departments will assist in data collection through their grassroots networks, enabling real-time mapping of out of school children and improving enrolment strategies.
Meanwhile, the Social Welfare Department has been assigned the role of supporting underprivileged families to ensure that financial difficulties do not prevent children from receiving an education.
Education officials also noted that the current public school system has the capacity to immediately accommodate up to 25 per cent more students.
A 100 day plan has been developed, targeting the enrolment of about 60 per cent of out of school children in the first phase. The remaining 40 per cent will require additional resources, expansion of school infrastructure, and further development planning, which is already underway.
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